Process of and apparatus for distilling.



G. T. HANNA. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING.

I APPLICATION FILED 00114, 1909. 1,029,363, Patented June 11,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

U. T. HANNA. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING.

APPLIUATION FILED 00T.14,1909. v 1,029,363. Patented June 11, 1912 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.,

- 57 Q7 Mm 0. T. HANNA. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING.

I APPLICATION FILED 00114, 1909. 1,029,363, Patented June 11, 1912.

a u n n e n n a a n a a l 1 I u I I n a a v l a Q l n n I n u a a I n a a I a l u I u l o n I u o u o n c u n n a a I a u I Q 1 v4 Q u a u q 0 a.

v u n a a n I a n u u a a 1| v a u a o .u o u o v G. T. HANNA. v rnocnss or AND APPARATUS r011 DISTILLING.

APPLICATION nmzn 0OT.14,1909

Patented June 11, 1912.

1 4 BHBETSSHEBT 4.

- .45 and 55 through UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CYRUS 'r. HANNA, or? PHILADELPHIA, rEnNsYLvAmA.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLINGI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUS T. HANNA, a citizen of the United States, residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented Improvements in. the Process of andv Apparatus for Distilling, is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of distilling spirituous bodies, and it consists of an of which the following improved method or process of distilling ",whisky and an improved apparatus in which such process can be carried out; the object of my invention being to effect the removal of a greater percentage of the un- 5-desirable materials condensable at high temperatures from the vapor whereby I am enabled to obtain a purer product than has been produced in the operation of methods or apparatus heretofore in use. This and 2 other features of my invention will be more fully pointed out hereinafter.

Apparatus forming part of my invention and in which the improved method or process forming the other part of my invention may be carried out, is fully shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1, 1s a front elevation, partly in section, of a complete distilling apparatus embodying one part of my invention; Fig.

2, is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the upper portion of the apparatus shown in'Fig. 1, and Figs. 4, 5, and 6, are enlarged sectional views illustrating details of my inventlon.

In carrying out the improved method or process of distilling formingpart of my invention, I separate coming from the still, which may be a pot .40 still, a chambered still, a. continuous still,

or a still of any. other suitabletype, all of the undesirable materials condensable at high; temperatures, before the portions de signed to be recovered as the final product condensable at low temperatures are liquefied, and either re-distil the liquid containing such undesirablel materials, or dispose of'it in any suitable manner out of contact with the purified and low temperature condensation product which I desire to 0btain as the finished product from the' operation of my improved method or process. I, In carrying out my improved process, the vapor is conducted in a vertical column special'forms of internally disposed chambers which are so arranged and 0011- condensation thereof, is

ments, whi'ch fluid may from the spirit vapor stituted that the vapor must pass out of one chamber through small apertures in the wall of the same having entangling means, then into the next succeeding higher chamber through apertures of similar character in the wall of the same having entangling means; such sinuous flow of the vapor being continued to a certain height and then diverted to a series of horizontal elements of substantially the same character,'in which the vapor is passed in and out of apertured chambers in the same manner in which such vapor is passed through the chambers of the verticaljcolumn andfrom the horizontal elements, in which some of the spirit purified tothe extent desired may be condensed, the vapor is discharged; further condensation being effected in an ordinary form of condenser situated below the horizontal chambers,-and to which the vapor,witli any directed. In the horizontal chambers referred to, I may introduce a heating'medium for the purpose of maintaining a high temperature to sustain the low temperature condensation products in 'a vaporous condition therein, orif the operation of the apparatus is such that the removal of the desired quantity of impurities has been or can be effected in the vertical column, I may medium into the horizontal elements. In either instance, such heating or cooling medium may be in the form of air, steam or gas. I also provide for dripping fluid upon the exterior surface of the horizontal elebe hot or cold water, best fulfil'the object sought to be as may which depends entirely upon the attained,

character of the-vapor discharging into the horizontal elements, and whether or not 'I' desire "to continue it in a substantially vaporous condition until it reaches the final condenser for the finished spirit disposed exteriorly of said horizontal element's.

The. essential feature of the process forming thesubject of my invention resides in the peculiar manner of conducting the vapor from the heating vessel abled to condense the undesirable materials which liquefy at temperatures differing from and h1gher than that. required to liquefy the purified spirit vapor; a further feature being the introduction of gaseous or vaporous bodies, hot or cold, Into the horizontal vapor conductor,as may be neelower the temperature essary to raise or whereby I am en-' PatentedJune11 ,1912.' Application filed October 14, 1909. Serial No. 522,640.

introduce a cooling therein to insure the condensation of the over the outer surface or wall of said hori-.

- zontal elements.

. drain from the vessel v In the drawings herewith, 1' represents the heating vessel of a suitable form of still, which may be of any approved type or design, having an inlet 2 for the mash material, and an outlet or beak 3 for the vapor developed by cooking such mash. The vessel 1 may be heated to cook the mash by an internal steam coil 4; the inlet and out-let connections or couplings for such coil being shown at 5 and 6, provided with suitable valves 5*" and 6 In some instances it may be desirable to introduce live steam directly into the vessel 1 for contact with the material therein, and for this purpose the steam inlet connection 5 may be extended as indicated at 7, and provided with a suitable valve 8, so asto be cut into and out of commu'nication with the vessel 1. An outlet or 1 is shown at 9, provided with a valve 9.

through which vapor. from the vessel- 4 passes to an elongated cylindrical column 11';

If desired, the apparatus may bexo'perjated under vacuum; ap mp 12 being'prothe column 11 anddivert such vapor to the ments 16 placed some distance above theheating vessel 1 of the still, and through passed back and forth vided for the purpose, and inv suchinstance the vapor may pass to thepump for delivery to the'column 1 1 by wayof a suitable, bypass 13; a valve '14 beingem'ployed to control the flow of -vaporf-rom'the vessel 1 to by-pass. The column 11 communicates by means of a suitable elbow section 15 .with horizontally disposed vapor conducting eleing cistern 21, from which it maybe drawn ofi through a spigot 22, to barrels 23', orit may be barreled directly from the" pipe 20. v s

are fully v The beak 3 com-- municates with a pipe or connection 10 e pipeql'lto a com The vapor conductorSDf-"the column 11; shown in ti e -enlarged sectional view-s, Figslander Theycolumn" 11 may coi isist of cylindrical shells 25 mounted one *Tfabove another, .within each 0t which --'are disposed a pair'of cylinders 26 and 27, and

each'upper cylinder 26 may have a reduced outlet 28 at its lower end entering-an enlarged cup 29 carried bythe closed upper part of' each cylinder 27. These cylinders 26 and 27 may have'flangesdiwhereby they may be held between the flanged ends 3110f the cylindrical shells .25, andthey are ap'er-f tured at 32, in the manner shown clearly in" Figs. 5 and '6, such apertures being preferably made by unching holes through the walls of said cy inders. The holes arerelatively close together and the edges of said holesare left rough, just as made by the punch, in order to afford additional means of entanglementfor the impurities condensable from the vaporat high temperatures. Other forms of foraminous or reticulated "cylinders may be used, provided the en-.

tangling'means are employed. The vapor travels in the direction indicated by the ar rows, and passes through the apertures in the cylinders 26 and 27 from the smooth surfaced wall of the same to the roughened surface formed by the raised edges o-fsaid apertures, so that the condensable portion: of

the emerging vapor tending to flow with such vapor at the point of emergence is caught by the roughened edges and broken up; separating from such vapor and flowing down the walls of the cylinders. Vapor from the heating vessel 1, entering the colman 11 passes into the lower inner cylinder 27, thence through the apertures of said cylinder to t-heispacebe tween i'tsouter wall and the wall of the cylindrical shell 25, thence to the cylinder 26,-whi'ch communicates directly-with the succeeding cylinder 27, and so on. By thismeans, the vapor -is given a sinuous or circuitous path, and

by"passing through the large quantity of small aperturesof the-several cylinders 26' and '27 in both directionsand contacting with the entangling means adjacent sa d.

apertures, greater opportunity for removing a the impuritiw' condensable at high tempera tures is provided. The 'impurities forming the products of] high temperature conden'sa t n w downthe outer-walls of the., 1in

ders 26- and' '27 and may passthrough out- I lets. 33 from each cylindrical shell'25 of the main column 11, which outlets. are connected an pipe 34lead'ing'to a residue col;

lector 35. A certain portion of these condensed'i'mpurities also pass down the inside of the cylinders 26 and 27 and fill the cups 29,sealing the lower ends 28 of the cylinders .26, and Yt-he overflow from said cups runs 'down' the outside'ofsaidcylinders and collects in the bottom of the chambers formed by the cylindrical shells 25 and the flanges 30 of the cylinders 26 land 27: The spirit .vapor',-'therefore, while it may have'to pass. through filmsof or'in close contact with particles of, condensed vapor, does not have topass through bodies of theisam'e as in the the outlets 33,

portions of the condensed impure 49, to which the pipe plied from a suitable ordinar forms of dephlegmators. The condensed lmpurities entering the pipe 34 from vessel 1' of the still .through a pipe 37, suitably valved at 38, or sent into the residue collector 35. In addition, if desired, certain roducts collecting in the shells 25 may pass rom one chamber to the next through pipes 38 interiorly disposed with respect to the cylinders 26 and 27. When the vapor reaches the top of the vertical column or conductor 11, it passes through the elbow connection- 15 to a series of horizontal vapor conducting elements 16 of a design similar in all. respects to those of the vertical column; the outer walls of which may be cooled or heated, as the conditions may require, by water dripping from perforated pipes ,-40, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, such water be- .ing supplied from a pipe 41. The pipes 40 are valved at 40 so that any one or all may be cut out, as desired. The impurities con densed in said conducting elements 16 may be discharged through outlets 41 valved at 42, which outlets lead to horizontal pipes 43 connected to the pipe 34, while the spirit vapor passes to the several conducting elements through the elbow connections 44, and from the lowest element it overflows into the pipe 17, and enters the condenser 18. The conducting elements 16 contain cylinders 2G and 27 ofathe same character as those indicated at 26 and 27- and disposed within the cylindrical shells 25. This is largely a matter of convenience to avoid the necessity of having several forms of the apertured cylinders, since the portions pro viding the liquid seal when vertically arranged, have no real function when disposed in a horizontal position.

In some instances it may be desirable to introduce air, steam or other gaseous bodies into the conducting elements 16, and for this purpose I provide pipes 45 leading to said elements'from a pipe 46 leading from a suitable source of supply. Asshown one pipe 45 communicates with the upper element 16, and it will be understood that other pipes 45 may be connected to the other elements.

The pipes 45 are valved at 47 so that communication with the conducting elements may be controlled, and in some instances cut off. One of the pipes 45 may communicate withthe pipe 17 leading to the condenser. The condenser comprises a cylindrical vessel having tubes'48 leading .from a header 17 is connected. The condenser vessel 18 is filled with water, supsource and this cools the tubes 48. The drip from the conducting elbments 16 is caught by a pan 16 and overflows via a pipe .17 to the water space of the condenser.

which flow may be controlled 'by valves 36, may be returned to the heating ling whisky and for carrymg off the impurltles condensed at high temperatures, the discharge and By valving the several pipes at will, and any one of the cylindrical shells direction of' discharge of such impurities may be changed 25 may be drained independently of the rest.-

The heating vessel of the still' is provided with the usual accessories, such as a contents gage 50, thermometer 51 vacuum gage 52,

pressure gage 53,safety.valve 54, vacuum valve 55, and other fittings, all of which are well known and familiar tot-hose skilled in the art and need herein.

As this application August 21, .1908, Serial Number 449,591, it is to be treated as a continuation of said prior application as far as the connnon subject-matter is concerned I claim: i

1. The herein described process of distilother spirituous bodies, consisting in providing a suitable mash, heating the same to the point of vaporization, causing the Vapor therefrom to pass through a vertical conduit comprising a series of closed chambers connected by foraminous passages forming entangling means to assist conno detailed description i possesses matter in' common with an application filed by me densation and in which conduit the temperature is successively lowered sufficiently to effect liquefaction or separation of the 'impurities in the vapor condensable at. relatively high temperature, removing said products of high temperature condensation, and finally condensing the purified vapor.

2. The herein described process of distilling whisky and other spirituous bodies, con- .sisting' in providing a suitable mash, heating the same to the point of vaporization, causing the vapor therefrom to pass through a conduit comprising a series of closed chambers connected by foraminous passages forming entangling means to assist condcnsation and in which conduit the temperature is successively lowered sufficiently to effect liquefaction or separation of the impurities condensable at relatively high temperature, introducing a gaseous-body into the vapor conduit at a temperature difiering from said vapor and at any point between the outlet'from'the mash vessel and the discharge to the condenser, removing said products of high temperature condensation from the vapor conduit, and finally condensing the purified vapor.

3. In a distilling apparatus, the combinationof means for producing a vaporous body, a vapor conductor leading therefrom and divided into a .plurality of chambers, a series of foraminous shells within said vapor conductor and into which said vapor passes, said shells having closed upper and open lower ends and being disposed within the and chambers, and means for separately withdrawing said condensation or' separation products.

4. In a distilling apparatus, the combination of means for producing a vaporous body, a vapor conductor leading therefrom and divided into chambers, a series of foraminous shells within said vapor conductor '15 and into which said vapor passes, said shells having closed upper and open lower ends and being disposed within the upper and lower portions of said chambers whereby the vapors in passing from one chamber to another must pass in and out of said fo-k raminous shells, the condensation or separation products remaining behind and col;- lecting at-the bottom of the shells and chambers, and means for sealing the lowerends of said foraminous shells.

5. In a distilling apparatus, the combina tion of a vapor conductor having a plurality of chambers, a foraminous shell within-the chambers of said conductor and so disposed that the vapor in passing from one chamber to another must pass into and out of said of two subscribing witnesses.

foraminous'shell, and entangling means carried by said foraminous shell atthe points of emergence for 'said vapor.

6. In a distilling apparatus, the combination of a source of spirit vapor, a vapor con- I ductor leading therefrom, a series of foramlnous shells Within'said vapor conductor and forming entangling means into which said vapor passes, said shells being arranged to give the vapor a circuitous path, a seriesof horizontal vapor conductors, foraminous shells therein for the passage of the vapor in a circuitous path, means for cooling said horizontal conductors, and a condenser for the spirit vapor.

7, In a distilling apparatus, the combination of a vapor conductor having chambers, foraminous shells within the chambers of said conductor for inducing liquefaction of impurities condensable at high temperatures, and means for commingling a gaseous fluid with the spirit Vapor for the purpose v of-modifying the temperature within the chambers of said conductorfl In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence oYRUs TaHANNA. Witnesses I E. SnurE, 7 WM. BARR. 

